Of Dances and Dreams
by Crystal Rose of Pollux
Summary: Years have gone by since the last masked ball, but a new masquerade party has Christine wondering whether or not she is ready to return to her dream of singing. That's where her family comes in. Raoul/Christine


This fic was inspired by the prompts "Rings" at 30 Memories and "You will excuse me if I skip the masquerade" at 31 Days on LiveJournal. This story references my still-unfinished story, "Beneath the Valley," but there shouldn't be any spoilers. Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, except for Giselle and Sybille.

* * *

Christine adored the feel of the Parisian sunlight upon her as she walked, carrying her latest purchase. Oh, she could have taken the carriage back home, but, really… where was the adventure in that? And somehow, she had convinced her family that walking would be a better idea.

"Mama! Mama!" a voice behind her called. "Look at this!"

Christine paused at the sound of her eldest daughter, Giselle (barely eight years old), glancing at a large poster. Giselle's younger sister Sybille (only six years old) also stared at the poster as well, though she was more interested in the colors, rather than the message.

"_New Opera House will be Celebrating its Opening with a Masked Ball; all Members and Patrons of the Original Opera Populaire are Welcome to Attend this Saturday Evening._"

Christine now felt the arm of her beloved husband Raoul around her shoulder.

"I told you you'd be able to sing again," he said.

"I would love to sing again, Raoul," she replied, glancing wistfully at the poster. "I just don't know if I can."

"Why not?" asked Raoul, and he then addressed his daughters, both of whom had inherited his blond hair. "Girls, don't you think your mother would be the greatest singer in all of Paris?"

"Oh, yes!" they chorused.

"In all of France?"

"Oh, yes!"

"How about Europe?" Raoul went on.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" exclaimed Sybille, jumping up and down.

"Why not the entire world?" he asked.

"Why not!?" agreed Giselle.

"Oh, go on, all of you!" said Christine, though she was clearly smiling. "I admit I love to sing, even without all of your buttering up! You don't have to flatter me into singing!"

"So will you sing again?" asked Sybille.

"You sing to us everyday, and you sound lovely, Mama," said Giselle.

"Christine, our children speak the truth," said Raoul, with a smile. "Why discard the dream you've had since childhood?"

"Papa's right!" said Giselle. "You can sing again, and we can all go to the ball on Saturday and watch you and Papa dance together!"

"What?" asked Raoul, glancing at Giselle. Clearly, he hadn't seen this twist coming.

"Mama always says how you danced with her at the last masked ball when you were just engaged," said Giselle. "She always talks about how you swept her off of her feet…"

Raoul glanced at Christine, who was pressing a handkerchief to her lips to hide her smile.

"Raoul, our children speak the truth," she quoted, using the same tone that he had used. Raoul had to laugh.

"Girls, don't you think that you're a little too young to be going to the ball?" asked Christine.

Both of them shook their golden-haired heads enthusiastically, causing Raoul and Christine to exchange amused glances.

* * *

"What do you really think, Raoul?" asked Christine, after they had reached home.

"I still say that you shouldn't discard your dream," the viscount replied. "We shouldn't be the only ones blessed to hear your voice."

"I know that," she said, and let out a deep sigh. "But… after everything that happened last time, they might not…" She trailed off, closing the door to prevent the children from hearing her cry. "Raoul… what if they _don't_ want me to come back? After that entire fiasco with Erik, my reputation as a magnet for trouble will be preceding me…"

Raoul's arms were around her in an instant.

"Oh, Raoul," she whispered. "You heard what Andre and Firmin were saying about me back then; they seemed to think that I was the cause of all of their trouble with Erik. And Carlotta went so far as to accuse me of convincing Erik to ruin her to further my career."

"How could they possibly blame you?" Raoul asked. "Christine, you didn't ask for what happened. You didn't ask for Carlotta to lose her voice. You didn't ask for the chandelier to fall."

"That's exactly what I told them!" she said. "They didn't believe me in the slightest, and they probably would never have done so if you hadn't stepped up to help me." She held Raoul's hand. "And what about you? Erik caused you so much trouble, and all because of me…"

"Christine," Raoul whispered back, gently holding her face in his hands. "Don't blame yourself for what happened. You were chasing after your dream, and Erik was the one who interfered."

"I never did catch that dream," Christine realized. "Just like those elves when we were younger; I never caught any of them, either. But I did catch a different dream in the end."

"Which one was that?" Raoul asked.

She kissed him in reply, and he understood.

"When we were children, I always dreamed of marrying you someday," she said, the blush rising in her face. "I remember when we danced at the last masked ball… I had the ring you gave me on that chain, and I remember thinking that the dream had at last come true."

"Do you want to go to this masked ball?" Raoul asked.

"Raoul, please understand…" she said. "I don't think Paris is ready for the return of Christine Daaé."

"It is not Christine Daaé they are apprehensive about; it is the Opera Ghost," Raoul reminded her.

And even there, the people's fears were unfounded. The Phantom had changed his ways after letting Raoul and Christine get married. No; he was no longer an enemy of the Chagnys, especially after their misadventure in Egypt.

"I'm still not sure if I am ready to return, myself," Christine said.

"I understand," said Raoul.

The couple returned to the main sitting room.

"Papa, can we buy new dresses for the ball on Saturday?" asked Giselle, the second Raoul entered the room. "I saw this violet dress in a shop when we were walking, and I think--"

"I want a pink dress!" chirruped Sybille. "And it has to be pretty!"

"Papa, please," said Giselle. "I promise I won't ask for anything else for a whole month!"

"I've heard _that_ before…" Raoul mused, causing Christine to smile again.

"Two months?" she offered.

"You don't have to bargain, Giselle," said Raoul. "I wish we could take you, but we've decided not to go."

"Raoul, wait…" said Christine, after seeing her daughters' faces fall in disappointment. "Maybe we _can_ go… I'll just keep a low profile, and the children can enjoy themselves."

* * *

That Saturday, the Chagny family attended the masked ball; Giselle and Sybille were both wearing their new dresses. Christine thought she saw Meg, but wasn't sure if she was willing to talk to her, in case it was someone else. But then a thought crossed her mind.

"Raoul?" she asked, quietly. "Do you think _he_ will be here?"

Raoul glanced around the ballroom. Plenty of the guests were dressed in red; any one of them could be the Phantom. But if he was here, he would be keeping a low profile as well.

"I wouldn't be the least bit surprised," he replied, pausing to give an amused look at Sybille, who was helping herself to the dessert-laden table.

"Oh, Raoul, look!" Christine exclaimed, pointing to the dance floor.

Giselle was trying to dance with a boy her age. Neither of them knew the slightest thing about dancing, and as such, the two children ended up stepping on each other's feet every two minutes, which was something that Giselle complained about rather loudly to her companion.

"Do they remind you of anyone, Raoul?" she asked.

"We used to dance like that," Raoul agreed, suppressing a smile. "Or tried to, anyway… I think we spent even more time stepping on each other's feet than those two are!"

"Father always thought we were fighting because of all the yelling we did," Christine said, with a slight giggle.

The slightest movement of a red cape from one of the balconies caught Raoul's eye as Christine was talking.

"Raoul?" she asked.

"He's here," he replied, scanning the balcony.

"Of course he would be…" she said. "Oh, if only he hadn't taken the ring from me that night… I know I let him keep it in the end, but…"

"Which reminds me, Christine," said Raoul. "I have something for you. You lost the first ring I gave you in the last masked ball. So tonight seemed like the best opportunity to give you another."

He handed her the jewelry box, and she was astounded to see that it was a stunning gold ring fashioned to look like an ancient ring that they had seen while in Egypt.

"I had it made when we went to Luxor," said Raoul. "It's made to resemble the ring that the Pharaoh Sethos gave to his queen. The only difference is that our names are written in the cartouches."

"It's beautiful," she whispered, placing it carefully on her hand. "Thank you so--"

"Stop stepping on my feet!" they heard Giselle blurt out, and the couple exchanged glances again.

"Shall we?" asked Raoul, offering his arm.

"We shall," Christine replied, and the two began to dance.

* * *

It was an enjoyable evening for the entire Chagny family; Raoul and Christine had their dance and a chance to reminisce, Giselle and her new friend figured out how to dance without endangering their toes, and Sybille had managed to eat a dinner consisting of nothing but cakes and cookies.

By midnight, Sybille had all but fallen asleep on her feet. Raoul was carrying her now, as Christine was readying Giselle to leave.

"Christine?" asked a familiar voice. "Christine, is that you!?"

"Meg--!?"

Before Christine could say anything else, Meg was taking her around the room, introducing her to everyone.

"She's Christine de Chagny," she said, much to Christine's embarrassment. "Oh, you know; the famous Miss Daaé? She was the one who--"

"_Meg_," Christine said, in a slightly annoyed tone. Raoul had caught up with them by this time, Sybille half asleep and Giselle standing by, wide-eyed and wondering as to what was going to unfold.

"Oh, I just had the most wonderful idea," said Meg. "Would you like to sing for us all, Christine?"

Christine tried to refuse, but the second the crowd realized who she was, they, too, agreed with Meg and pleaded Christine to sing.

"Go on, then!" said one patron.

"Will you sing that one from _Hannibal_?" asked another.

"Yes! Go on, sing!" asked the third.

Christine looked back at her family, as though seeking their guidance. Raoul nodded ever so slightly, as if to say, "It is your decision, Christine, and we are there to support you."

She turned back to Meg.

"Alright, I'll sing for you all."

And so she sang. Her sweet voice was enough to awaken Sybille, as she, Giselle, and Raoul all heard the confidence rise in Christine's voice with every note she sang.

Christine sensed her confidence growing, as well, and she knew it had nothing to do with the presence of the red-cloaked figure on the balcony, watching her. Yes, Erik was there, hearing her sing. Perhaps she was singing for him, however slightly, as a gift to a friend. But she was mostly singing for Raoul, and for Giselle and Sybille, her cherished family. And she was singing for herself, for now her dream was somehow within reach again.

She finished her song, and the ballroom erupted into cheers. Though requested to sing an encore, she politely refused, and instead returned to her family.

"Mama, you were so good!" said Giselle. Sybille nodded sleepily in agreement.

"They speak the truth again; you were wonderful," said Raoul, kissing her.

"Thank you," she answered, as they headed for home. "And Raoul? I've come to a decision. I want to chase this dream again."

"Then, by all means, do so," Raoul whispered back. "And know that we will always be right behind you."

She knew, and she was grateful.


End file.
